Restrained
by drookit duck
Summary: Spike awakes to find that somehow the Initiative have given the chip a tune up and he can no longer even touch anything living, or drink even prepackaged blood!
1. Chapter 1

**Chappie one**

The room was bright. Too bright. The kind of brightness that made your eyes ache and your skin feel tight and dry. There were voices, mostly men's, talking in a low murmur around him. He couldn't move, there were restraints holding his arms, legs and head down. He tried to move, but it was impossible. Hell, he couldn't even move his head. His eyes were open, but his vision was restricted just as much as his movement. He could make out the busy atmosphere; people in white buzzing around making noise. He tried to speak, but couldn't seem to be able to; as if he'd forgotten how to form words. Just then, a bright light was shone into his face and he caught a glimpse of someone standing over him. He had enough time to realise they had some very sharp objects before it all went black in a world of pain.

Spike awoke panting. He jolted upright in bed, to find himself in his crypt. He sighed and placed a hand to his head, feeling confused. His head was throbbing, and everything seemed blurred. Spike mumbled to himself, and slowly got out of bed. The cool concrete on his bare feet felt good. Spike threw his head back and sighed, before padding slowly towards the chair and his clothes. He pulled his jeans on over his bare ass and shrugged on a black t-shirt. He felt tired. He'd just got up, how could he feel this exhausted?

Spike groaned, lifting an empty bottle and tossing it at the wall. It smashed with a satisfyingly loud noise, leaving glass all over the floor. Spike smirked, feeling better. Destruction helps. Sadly, he still didn't have any shoes on, so he cut his foot open on the glass.

"Bugger." Spike complained, lifting his leg to inspect it. The cut was small, but deep, and there was blood all over the floor. Spike prodded the cut and more blood flowed out. He sighed again, and lost his balance. He landed with a thump on the ground. What the hell was wrong with him?

He found it very difficult to get back on his feet, but when he finally got there, he made it slowly to the refridgerator.

The blood was cold. He kept it in jars in the fridge. Spike had always meant to get a microwave, but had never got around to it. He unscrewed the jar and and lifted it to his lips. Just the smell of the fresh-ish blood brought up the blood lust. He felt his face morph into vampire visage. The blood felt great on his lips, but then it stopped feeling so great. The chip went off the moment his lips parted. The pain was fast and blinding. He dropped the jar and stumbled backwards into the comfy-chair. He put his throbbing head into his hands and made an aggravated yell. They'd gotten him again. Somehow the Initiative had caught up with him. It had to have been them. Life was just not any good right now, even for a dead man.

Seen as it was night time, Spike walked, or rather stumbled, out through the graveyard. His migraine had disappeared, but he felt absolutely exhausted. Every couple of steps he'd have to stop and lean against something. It took him a good while to get into the town. He was closest to the Watcher's house, so he headed there. Giles' house was one of those back to front houses, where you have to enter through a courtyard at the back. Spike dragged himself up the staircase, like a drunkard and battered the door with his fists. No one answered. Every light was out. Here he was in need of help on the doorstep, and the old git was in his bed catching 'Zs'.

Spike thudded on the door again. He began to slowly slide to the flagstoned ground, dragging his nails down the door in a vain attempt to hold himself up. A light came on in the livingroom and the door slowly opened. And there stood Willow.

"Spike?" the redhead asked, staring down at the fallen vampire. Spike looked up slowly, from where he lay on the ground.

"Seem to be in a bit of a situation,...again." Spike said, he pushed himself up slowly, "Can I come in?"

Willow nodded and stepped back, and let him crawl inside. She bent to help him to his feet, grabbing his arm. The minute her hand touched him, Spike reeled in agony, screaming. Willow abruptly let go of him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, wide-eyed. Spike shook his head, panting and holding his hands to his temples. Willow made to help him again, but Spike jumped back like she'd bitten him.

"Don't touch." he said, "You'll set it off again."

"So, what? He's here because...?" Xander asked, locking the cuffs on the vampire's wrists. It had taken them a good fifteen minutes to get the cuffs on without actually touching him. Every time any of them touched his skin, the vampire would yell out and struggle in pain.

"Something's happened to him," Willow said, "Something..else."

"So, you can't touch anything?" Xander asked, lifting the chains to put on Spike's ankles.

"I don't know, you git." Spike said, "Not exactly been trying it out, have I?" he hissed a little as Xander began to wrap the chains around his legs and accidentally touched him.

"Are the chains really necessary?" Spike asked, "I mean, it's not as if this is the first time anything like this has happened, and I can't exactly hurt any of you." he added the last part bitterly.

"It's just a precaution." Willow said, giving the vampire a weak smile.

Spike grumbled, but stopped arguing.

Time passed, and the sun eventually came up. They couldn't open the curtains, so Giles' livingroom remained dull. Xander was watching TV and Willow had given up trying to make polite conversation with Spike, who was anything but polite in return, and had started reading a book.

"I feel like hell." Spike complained, staring at his own knees like they were the neck of a young virgin.

"What will it take to get you to shut up?" Xander asked, looking up from the boob tube.

"Oh, I don't know," Spike said sarcastically, "it's not as if I'm sick here or anything."

"You can't be sick." Xander said, "You're a vampire, last time I checked, vamps don't get sick."

Spike scoffed and gave the boy a hard glare, "Next time you can't eat, give me a call and tell me you don't feel sick."

"Spike, just be quiet, okay?"

Spike scowled and began staring at his knees again.

"Did you see that, Will, Spike did what I asked!" Xander said in triumph.

Willow shook her head, "Xander, leave him alone." she said.

"Are you even going to do anything?" Spike asked Willow.

"What can I do?" she asked, "We couldn't do anything about the first implant, and we don't even know what this is."

"Well where's the Slayer or Giles? This is his house." Spike said, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Buffy's coming around with donuts later, we have classes at 12, and Giles was away for the night, that's why we were house sitting."

Spike sighed and closed his eyes.

"We should give him a drink." Willow said. Xander gave her a wide-eyed look and covered his throat.

"I meant a drink of water, Xander." Willow said darkly.

"Something stronger would be nice." Spike said hopefully. But Willow disappeared past him.

The water was cool, and it didn't hurt to drink it. But he couldn't exactly live on water, so that wasn't much of a blessing.

"Thanks, Luv." he said, as she took the glass away.

The door opened just as Willow disappeared, once again, into the kitchen. Spike was bathed in sunlight for only a few seconds, but enough to hurt. He yelled out as smoke began to appear from his own flesh. Buffy entered with a box of donuts.

"Donuts!" Xander yelled, jumping up like an overgrown kid. He took the box off of his friend and snatched two cream filled donuts from the box.

"What is he doing here?" Buffy said, catching sight of Spike.

"The Initiative got him." Willow said, handing Buffy a mug of coffee.

Buffy took a sip of the sugary goodness, "I thought you were off their radar." she said.

Spike looked up at her, dark shadows under his eyes and in the hollows of his cheeks. "Apparently not."

"So you're looking for help?"

Spike nodded.

"Nope." Buffy said, smiling sweetly.

"Buffy." Willow said, "We can't leave him this way." she looked at Spike .

Buffy walked over towards the bound vampire, and laid a hand on his shoulder. Spike screamed and flinched away from her. Buffy paused,

"I never hurt you." she said.

Spike shook his head, coughing.

"It seems that The Initiative have improved the Chip." Willow said... "It's more... restrainy."

"That's..." Buffy shrugged, "Quite restrainy." She lifted a donut and took a bite, "So, what does it do, exactly?"

"He can't touch anyone, or drink blood."

"What's changed? He couldn't drink from anyone anyway."

Willow shook her head, "No, I mean any kind of blood."

Buffy shrugged, "So, he can't eat?"

Willow shook her head again, "Not much of an existence."

Xander stood up and and put his jacket on. "I'm going to get Anya," he said, snatching the last donut before heading out of the door. He made extra sure to hold the door open long enough to get a yell from Spike before leaving.

"Git!" Spike hollered at the now closed door.

Buffy frowned and grabbed another donut, "Why do you have to swear all the time?"

"Give me a bloody donut."

"No."

"Why not?"he asked, giving her a pathetic look.

"Because you're creepy and I hate you."

"Yeah, well, you're not such an angelic figure either, luv."

"Stop arguing!" Willow said, "Just sssh!" she closed the box of donuts and laid them on the table. Spike eyed the box with a starved look on his face.

"You're a vampire." Buffy said, "Vampires eat blood, not donuts."

"Wow, you're bountiful knowledge of my species knows no bounds." Spike said, glaring at the Slayer, "Anyway, we do eat donuts. We eat whatever the bloody hell we want."

"Except you." Buffy grinned.

Spike scowled and turned to Willow, "Just one donut?"

Willow lowered her eyes from the man chained to a chair; who couldn't eat because of something that was in his brain; who was looking rather sickly and malnourished; who had nowhere to turn to, except his enemies... and she caved and held the open box out to him.

Spike gave her a smile and nodded to the jam one in the corner of the big pink box.

"I can't believe you're letting him have a donut." Buffy said, "I paid for them!"

"But Buffy, it's only a donut." Willow said.

Buffy sighed and lifted the Jam donut, she held it out to the vampire, "Yeah, well he owes me for it."

Giles returned from his trip expecting to find several college students in his house. He did not, however, expect to return home to find several college students in his house with one vampire chained to a chair. With, might I add, Giles' chains. What, exactly, Giles had such heavy duty chains for, one has to wonder, but still said chains were now restraining Spike.

Unsurprisingly Giles wasn't best pleased to come home to find this, but he managed to walk right past it all in silence into his kitchen, put the bag of shopping he'd picked up away, make a cup of tea and return to the scene before he said anything.

"What is going on?" he asked, looking from one face to another. Finally his gaze rested on Buffy, who shrugged,

"Hey, I walked in and he was here already!"

"But why is he here?"

"Something's happened to him," Willow said, "The chip's changed."

"In what way?" Giles said, losing his anger to intrigue.

"He can't touch anything living or drink blood from packets or mugs... They've added to what sets it off."

Giles nodded and glanced at Spike, "My dear boy, you look like death." he said, he paused, then added, "And you have jam on you face."

The girls giggled and Spike just sighed and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, well it's hard to eat donuts when you can't use your hands." he growled, twisting his hands in the cuffs.

"Why were you eating donuts? Vampires drink blood." Giles said, taking a sip of tea.

"My,my, we're all at it today." Spike said darkly, "Now are you going to help me, or not?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chappie Two**

The problem, of course, was that no one could actually think of a way to help Spike. They couldn't exactly cut his head open themselves and pull the chip out, although Xander, (who had returned with Anya shortly after Giles' arrival), and Buffy seemed quite in favour of that idea... or at least, just the cutting Spike's head open part. But, coming down to the nitty gritty of it all, none of them could think of a damned way to help the misfortunate vampire. And so, they had resorted to what they knew best; they watched television. Leaving Spike still chained to the chair with jam on his chin.

"Couldn't we at least watch something interesting?" Spike complained, having sat through several episodes of badly drawn anime already, he couldn't face anymore.

"Shut up, Spike." Xander hissed, turning his attention only partially away from the small, large eyed girl on the screen.

"I have to agree with Spike on this one." Giles said, still staring at the scantily clad character on the screen, "This doesn't seem like a very good use of a Saturday morning."

Xander turned around with a look of horror on his face, "This is a perfectly good use of a Saturday morning!" he indicated the screen wildly with his hand, "This episode is a major turning point in the story's plot!"

"If you've seen it before why do you want to watch it again?" Willow asked, over her psych-notes.

"He's watched it several times." Anya said, "The girl in the short school skirt slaps the other girl several times over the head and the man with no eyes in the dress dies."

"Aww, I was watching that." Buffy said, "Now I know how it ends."

Xander made a 'shush' noise.

"Oh, for the love of carnage, Giles, chain me in the bathtub, I can't stand anymore of this!" Spike said.

Giles sighed and sipped his third cup of tea, "That sounds like an excellent plan."

"You don't remember anything?" Giles asked, cleaning his glasses while Buffy locked the chains on Spike's wrists. It had taken them a surprisingly long time to get him into the bathroom, because Spike was unable to stand and they couldn't physically touch him.

"No... Well, snatches here and there... thought it was a-hey, careful, Slayer, that hurt!"

Buffy glared at him, then touched his arm, Spike made a hiss of pain and threw his head back violently.

"Bitch." he exclaimed.

"No name-calling." Buffy warned, "Or I'll give you a hug."

Spike slowly raised his head to meet her gaze and neither gaze was friendly.

"What did you think it was?" Giles persisted, hoping to pick the conversation up again.

"I thought it was a dream. Woke up in my crypt... just felt a bit crappy is all.

"I think,judging by the fact you're at least three stone lighter than you were earlier this week, it's safe to say 'crappy' is an understatement, Spike." Giles sighed.

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly think it had been real." Spike said, giving a shrug, "I can last for a good long while without food... But I'd rather not. If we can't fix this, someone better stake me."

Buffy clapped her hands, "Oh goody, I get to kill him."

Spike gave her a dirty look.

"And there's nothing else you can tell us?" Giles said, again, guiding back to the conversation.

Spike shook his head, and sighed.

"Okay, thankyou, uh, Spike, we'll try to think of a way to help you."

They all headed towards the door, Buffy leaving first.

"Giles." Spike said, just as the ex-watcher reached the door.

Giles turned back to look at the thin young man chained to his bathtub.

"Can I sleep?"

"What? Of course... why wouldn't you?" Giles asked, frowning.

Spike shrugged, looking embarassed, "Only... you, uh, you won't do anything, will you?"

Giles approached the bathtub, "Like what?"

"I'm not gonna wake up with a stake through my chest... or, back in the Initiative?"

Giles shook his head, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Spike, you have no reason to worry. We are not going to hand you back to Maggie Walsh and her men."

Spike nodded, "Right."

Giles turned to leave.

"Wait-"

He stopped,

"Don't... don't repeat this little talk to the Slayer, will you?"

Giles turned to face the vampire once again, he noticed he had dark circles from lack of sleep and food. "I give you my word."

Spike nodded thanks and Giles left, haunted, slightly, by the past conversation and the sincerity of the vampire.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chappie three**

It was lunchtime by the time anyone looked in on the vampire. They were all kind of shocked to find him asleep. His head lay to one side at an odd angle which looked uncomfortable as hell. Willow, feeling compelled to do something, managed to slip her rolled up jumper under the sleeping man's head without touching his skin.

"He looks sad." she said, as they slipped out closing the door behind them.

Giles sighed, "The ordeal will have affected him quite a bit, I should expect." he said.

"Makes you feel kind of sorry for him." Willow added, wrapping her arms around herself, "I mean, it's like they're targeting him... Just him."

"I'm sure they're targeting many vampires. It was most likely bad luck that Spike had been caught before."

Willow nodded, "Maybe, only I just can't shake the thought that he escaped... Maybe he was meant to? Maybe the Inititative have plans for him?"

Giles headed away from the bathroom door, "I think, perhaps, you are thinking too deeply into this, Willow." he said.

Willow followed, arms still crossed over her chest, "I know, I'm kind of pushing the boundaries into Sherlock Holmes-ness, but it's just he got out of there. He was like the first escapee. He got out and never got caught again, even though the Initiative were right in the room with me and him that night he came to the dorm for Buffy."

"Yeah, but that was just luck, Will." Buffy said, "And, I think I kind of foiled their plans that night, too."

"I suppose so." Willow sighed, sitting down next to her books and flicking through pages.

Giles returned to the kitchen for another cup of tea, and a think. What if the young witch had a point? What if there was an even darker, more macabre reason for Spike's sudden loss of luck. He thought of what the vampire had said earlier, and hoped they could find a way of reversing the new and improved chip before Spike reached the point of no return.

It had been a few hours since Spike had fallen asleep, it was now getting late on in the day and the light was fading. People had been and gone and returned and Xander had decided to order take out since they all appeared to be abiding at Giles' house again. Much to Giles' disgust.

"Does this look like chow mein to you?" Xander asked, holding a small silver dish up.

"No, that's mine, it's Kung Pow." Willow said, taking the dish.

"You know, I don't think they gave me the full order." Xander said, searching through the bag and finding nothing but yet more little pots of rice.

"You know, a lot of these dishes are not even Oriental in origin." Anya said, taking a bite of her chicken, "Some, I believe, aren't even made from edible parts of the animals."

Everyone gave her a disgusted look and Buffy put her box back on the table,"Here, Xander, have mine."

"What did I say?" Anya asked, a mouth full of noodles.

"I think it was the secret incantation of loss of appetite." Xander said, lifting Buffy's box, "But not mine."

Anya smiled and bobbed her head, taking another mouthful of food.

"Hey! Buff, this IS my Chow Mein!!!"

Buffy gave a gallic shrug and headed to the corridor.

"What are you up to?" Giles asked, getting his noodles all tangled on his fork.

"Gonna have a peek at the creature, see if he's still catching Z's." the Slayer replied, opening the bathroom door.

She was met with Spike's gaze as she entered. He was still lying against Willow's pink stripey jumper, his neck at an odd angle, but he wasn't asleep.

"You're awake, then." she commented, entering the room.

"Yeah," Spike said, "I am."

"There's Chinese food if you want any." Buffy said, seating herself down on the closed toilet.

"No, I'm alright, thanks all the same." Spike said, rolling his head, so that he could watch her without having to lift his head from the jumper-pillow.

"We'll try and find a way to help you." Buffy said, "I'm not promising anything, but we'll try."

"It's appreciated, Love." Spike said, closing his eyes.

"Do you want me to leave? Are you still tired?"

"I jus-" He stopped, going quiet for a few seconds.He opened his eyes again and Buffy saw that the blue had bled to yellow. Spike threw his head back savagely, with a ragged roar. When he lifted his face towards her, his features were ferile and distorted. Buffy stood and stepped back, as the vampire roared and screamed and tossed around violently against the chains in the bath.

"Spike! Spike, calm down!" The Slayer yelled, lifting the precautionary stake from the sink and holding it ready in case the chains, or the tub, gave way. "Don't make me use this!"

The door flew open and everyone looked in on the scene.

"Oh my gawd." Willow whispered.

"He's gone mad." Xander said, mouth still full of chinese takeaway.

Buffy set her teeth and stepped towards the straining vampire, she lifted the stake high into the air for momentum and brought the wood crashing down on the man's skull knocking him out. Spike slumped into the bath, his hands suddenly limp in the shackles. His face slowly changed back into human form, and a red puddle appeared on the white enamel bathtub behind his head where Buffy had hit him, staining his peroxide locks a vibrant pink colour.

"What the hell?"

"I fear, that if he is left like this much longer, he'll lose his mind." Giles said, as they huddled in the livingroom.

"But if he loses his mind, what good would the chip do?" Buffy asked.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, looking at her best friend.

"I've battled a few crazies before, and none of them let pain get in their way. If Spike becomes an animal, he'll be unstoppable. He'll just ignore the pain and go on the rampage."

Giles nodded and put his glasses back on carefully. "His mental state is very obviously degrading." the Englishman stated, "If we don't want to have to destroy him, we'll need to find a way of getting the chip back to just being when he tries to hurt anyone."

"Why don't we just destroy him?" Xander asked, Willow gave him a look, "Well, it's not like he's our friend. He has actually tried to kill all of us at some point or another, and since when did his problems become our problems?"

"He needs help." Willow said, "Just because he's a demon, doesn't mean he deserves to be experimented on and, and, tortured!"

Anya nodded, "I say that's a fair point!" she said, she turned to Xander and laid her hands on his chest, "As an ex-demon, I agree that vivisection on demons is wrong. Imagine they did that to me? We wouldn't be able to have sex, or play those peculiar games you like at night."

Everyone who wasn't Anya or unconscious in a bathtub widened their eyes and tried to ignore the last comments made by the nymphomaniac ex-demon.

Giles cleared his throat, "Of course, Anya makes an excellent point," he said, "This is highly inhumane, and if it isn't sorted quite soon, he will be beyond all help."

"Right." Buffy said, "So... what do we do?"

"Couldn't we just tell the Initiative that we'd like it put back the way it was the first time?" Willow asked.

"What a silly suggestion," Giles said, "Sadly, it's also the only plausable way, so..."

"Let's try it out." Buffy said, with a sigh.


	4. Chapter 4

_AN - Hello all! Sorry for my lack of author notes in this, so far. To answer some of your queries, I think I've spotted a point into which I could bring in Angel, but it might be quite late on, so please bare with me! I'm not sure if this will turn into spangel, I'm not as good at writing it as I am reading it XD and it might spoil my ending :P However, I do have plans to bring the big broody one in later on :D _

_I hope you're all enjoying it so far, I do have plans for some twists and turns along the way, so please keep the reviews coming! I'm open ot suggestions, but I do have a storyboard at the moment (with drawings and everything! I'm well proud of it) _

_Please enjoy this chapter, I'm sorry they've been so short, but I'm usually eating lunch at the time! lol, enjoy!_

**Chappie Four**

"...Understand?" Buffy said, taking the glass of water away from the vampire's lips. Spike nodded slowly, his head still resting on the bath-edge. He was shaking, causing the chains to rattle. The crack to the head had affected him a little more than the Slayer had planned. He'd been unconscious for several hours, and had woken up with no recollection of why he'd been knocked out. He'd also developed an obvious shake and seemed too weak to lift his head from the side of the bathtub.

"We'll need to get you into Giles' car and take you back into the Initiative." Buffy said, she was speaking slowly, like Spike didn't speak English, or he was too stupid to understand. "Riley thinks he can get us in."

"I want you to know that I don't like this plan." Riley said, the urge to get his two cents in. He'd came to Giles' house for a nice night with his girlfriend and her friends, and had ended up, yet again, putting what was left of his career on the line, for a man he couldn't possibly care any less for. But seeing the vampire lying so weak in the bathtub was a profoundly moving experience, and he'd changed his mind.

"I think it's worth a shot."Buffy said, "I mean, I don't want to go down there making demands, but I think we should give it a try."

"Right, now or never." Riley said, taking the keys for the chains from Xander and carefully unchaining Spike.

"One question." Spike mumbled, Everyone stopped, "How are you planning on getting me out of here without touching me?"

"Ah..." Buffy said, giving a shrug, "We can't. Brace yourself."

Riley, Buffy and Xander all took hold of the vampire, who screamed in agony as the chip sent pain through him and he tried to claw himself away from them, and set him on the floor. Spike lay there, panting and shaking. He wrapped his arms around himself and curled up on his side.

"Hell." he said, "Bloody hell."

It seemed an odd situation to be in; standing in front of a lot of men wearing green stable jersey's, who were pointing guns at you, while you argued the case of a man who was strapped to a gurney to your Psych lecturer. But this is where Buffy Ann Summers found herself. Riley had indeed gotten them in... well, at least himself, Buffy and Spike. The latter of whom was taken instantly into custody, pinned to the gurney on which he now lay, screaming in agony as several gun-toting men fastened him down. They didn't seem to have taken to kindly to his return.

"I'm sorry, Miss Summers, you'll have to run this by me again."

"I want you to sort him." Buffy said.

Prof. Walsh stared blankly at the young blonde woman, "Why?"

Buffy opened her mouth to start one of her rambling sentences which very rarely reach a conclusion, but Riley put up a hand.

"Let me deal with this, Buffy?" he said, making it more of a question than a statement. He really was pussy-whipped.

Buffy nodded.

"Yes, Finn, tell me why." Walsh said, turning her attention on her favourite young man.

Riley nodded and stepped forward as if about to give a class talk, "The Hostile's silicon chip has been upgraded to the point where the demon can no longer stand the touch of anything living and he cannot drink prepackaged blood."

Walsh nodded and looked to Engelmann, who also nodded, "and?"

"The Hostile can no longer obtain nutrition." Riley stated.

Again with the nodding.

"If he's left this way, he'll go mad. Vampire's can't die from malnourishment."

Professor Walsh sighed, "Riley, I hope you are not feeling sorry for this thing." she waved a hand at Spike, who was silent and still.

"No, ma'am," Riley assured her, "I am simply pointing out that, if the hostile goes insane, he will go on a rampage. Pain might not be enough to stop him. He might be incapable of reacting to pain at all. He'll be almost impossible to control, stop or kill."

Maggie Walsh remained quiet, she turned to Engelmann, who shrugged,

"The boy has a point." the man said, finally, "If he's right, and we don't have the Hostile captive, there could be a large amount of casualties."

Walsh's eyes widened, but she recovered control over herself before turning her attention back to the Slayer and Riley.

"Very well, you have made your point." she said, she glanced at the painfully thin vampire, "I doubt that the creature has enough strength to slaughter anyone, but it's a chance I am unwilling to take."

"Good." Buffy said, she rubbed her hand up Riley's arm, "So you'll put the chip back to what it was before?"

Walsh returned her gaze to the small blonde, "Oh, yes, we will return the chip back to it's original settings, and we will return the vampire after 3 days for you to destroy of."

Buffy blinked, "What? Three days?"

Walsh nodded, "Three days, correct. We will need to conduct some final areas of research on Number 17 before he is destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"Yes," Walsh said, "You will be destroying of him."

"um... well, no it wasn't really in my plan..."

''We will return the demon to you after three days of observation and tests and then we will expect you to have killed him."

"And if I don't?"

"We will make sure that you do." Engelmann said, he was standing at the side of the gurney watching the motionless vampire with interest.

"No."

Riley gave Buffy's arm a squeeze and the Slayer looked up at him. He widened his eyes, and she frowned.

"Fine, yeah, okay. But you don't put anything else in his head, the chip gets put back to what it was before and you can observe him for three days, but that's it."

Walsh gave her a smile, "I thought you'd see it my way." she said, she stroked a hand down Spike's cheek and the vampire gave an involuntary whimper as the pain chip shocked him. "I trust you can find your own way out." she said, as the gurney was wheeled out of the room, followed by the armed soldiers and Engelmann and Walsh.

A young brunette girl wearing a white lab coat and holding a clipboard to her chest, lingered for a moment before following the others.

"I hate this." Buffy said, folding her arms.

Riley wrapped an arm around her, "It'll be ok."

"I still don't like him, but I feel like we've betrayed him."

"There wasn't exaclty any other way," Riley said, "you took the right call."

Buffy shook her head trying to clear it and they left.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN- wow, the reviews are all sharp off the mark!!! kudos to all my readers :) it's nice to get feedback!!! I wasn't too sure whether to continue or not, but I think I shall peddle on 'coz you all seem to like my drabble :) The quick history of this idea was an actual dream!!! and then a stupendously lousy mechanics lecture saw to me starting chapter one XD_

_Please, read on and review if you want, I always love finding out how you think it's going and how I could improve it :)_

**Chappie 5**

He came to his senses it were as if he were underwater and someone was shining a light down on him. He opened his eyes and they were assaulted by the brightness of the room. Once they adjusted to the light, the first glimpses he got of busy people in white coats. It was a sterile environment. He could barely feel anything, but he was aware that he was lying down. He couldn't move, couldn't feel, couldn't speak. It were as if he couldn't remember how to form words. He lay, motionless and mute. Someone stood at his side, out of his vision.

Suddenly all feeling flooded back, in a wash of agony. Sharp, lightning like pain pulsed through his body and he found he could move now. His muscles spasmed and he twisted savagely against the straps which held him down to the cold metal table. The pain lessened and he was left limp and panting, frantically looking around for a means of escape. But there was none. Breathing was painful and he couldn't get enough air, even dead men need oxygen to calm them down. It's a phsychological need of the ex-humankind. His whole body ached, but his chest felt hot and tight.

As he calmed down, he became aware that there was a young woman standing to his right. Spike also became acutely aware that he was very, very naked. The brunette standing at his side scribbled something on a clipboard and motioned to someone who was beyond the vampires vision. Maggie Walsh stepped into view and gave a kurt nod to the young woman with the clipboard.

"He has overcome the tranquilisers." the girl said, motioning to Spike without looking at his face.

The older woman took the clipboard and flipped the page, "Yes, we will need stronger sedatives." she said, a frown creasing her face.

"We used the most powerful ones we have." the girl said, pointing at the sheet.

"Well, up the dosage." Prof. Walsh said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"We don't know what effects a larger dosage could have." the girl argued.

Maggie Walsh turned on the girl angrily, "Do not argue, Miss Jefferys," she said sharply, "These are experimental subjects, not patients." she pointed at the vampire lying on the table.

The girl physically cowered, "Yes, ma'am. Sorry."

Walsh turned back to look at Spike, "Do not sedate the hostile right now." she said, "I want him awake."

Spike did not like where the conversation was going.

A man, also wearing white, appeared. He had on a surgeon's mask. Spike felt like an open wound. He let out a wordless cry and tried to move, How could the Slayer have left him here? How could he have trusted the little bitch to be of any help? He wanted to be unconscious again, to not have to think or feel anymore. On top of the agony, the bloodlust lay, just under the surface. He hadn't fed in so long. But, to a vampire, hunger is not just hunger, it's a need and a curse. It rides low under the skin and takes over all of your waking thoughts. It takes over everything, until it is sated. How long had he been here?

The man in the coat and Professor Walsh were talking over him, Spike zoned out of his thoughts and caught some of what they were saying;

"Physical examination of Hostile 17 has proven that these demons have strength, even in a state of starvation, which surpasses human imagination. The body is still fairly humanoid. Internal examination, however, has not been what we expected,"

the man speaking sighed,

"The internal organs are still there, but are not as well preserved as we had hoped. The only organs worth salvaging are the lungs. We have, at present, only taken one."

"Good," Walsh said, "I wish to do an Intellect analysis on this particular sub-terrestial."

Engelmann nodded, "This Hostile's lungs are useless for human transplantation anyway, the creature seems to be a heavy smoker and has ruined the lungs."

"He will be useful for research," Walsh said, "After I am finished with him, take the remaining lung out and we will note the effects."

Engelmann nodded, "Are we returning the vampire to the girl?"

"Yes, as arranged."

"Do you believe that she will destroy it? She seemed eager to help this man."

Walsh smiled, and it wasn't a smile that would make any child want to hug her or ask her for candy, "I think that when she sees this demon again, he will be beyond saving. She would probably kill him in pity."

Engelmann nodded.

"And the implant?" Walsh asked, as an afterthought.

"It has been returned to it's basic settings." Engelmann said, "It has been a wasted resource."

"No, the girl made a fair arguement, we cannot have demons beyond control." Walsh said, "A monster capable of escaping the Initiative would be a disaster."

Engelmann nodded, "Yes, I understand."

Spike made a small whimper, as a wave of pain washed through his body. The two humans returned their attention to the helpess vampire.

"The creature's speech should return soon." Engelmann said, producing a small pen-torch from his pocket and shining it into Spike's eyes. The light was so very painful and Spike yelled out a wordless yell, but the man caught his face in one hand and held him still, peering into his eyes. Spike had no energy at all, and it takes energy to change your features. He stared up at the light and hoped for a quick death. His head ached and his chest was a mass of pain.

"That is considering this demon is capable of speech." Walsh said sceptically, "If it had not been for his escape, and how long he has lasted, I would not have thought much of this creature."

She nodded to someone and two men appeared and began unstrapping Spike.

"Take him to the chair," she turned to Engelmann who was now reading the notes on the clipboard, "Wire him up, and we'll do the Intellect analysis."

Spike was hoisted up and carried to the chair by one of the two men. He couldn't hold his head up, he felt weak and limp. Straps held him upright and in place, and metal cuffs held his writsts and ankles down. The young girl from before, Miss Jefferys, returned and busily began fixing tubes and wires to him. Each tube and wire was embedded deep into his skin and connected to various machinery. She managed to do all this, and slid a needle into his forearm, without meeting his eyes once, she also carefully avoided looking anywhere else; he was, afterall, naked. Spike watched her quietly, only hissing in pain when she stuck in the needles, wires and tubes. His eyes were going blurry and he was finding it hard to not slip into unconsciousness. The girl stood and then Walsh and Engelmann (the man in the white lab coat) appeared in front of the vampire.

"Hostile 17," Walsh said sternly, addressing Spike for the first time, "Do you understand English?"

Spike glared at her, the metal strip holding his head upright made it difficult to do much else.

"Your speech will return soon," Engelmann said, "Then we will ask you a few questions."

Spike needed to close his eyes. Everything was spinning, his head was so sore, and he could feel hot spots where the wires had penetrated the skin and he was bleeding. His eyelids fell, but no sooner had this happened than a jolt of electrical energy ran through him. He yelled out in agony and opened his eyes.

"You will not sleep." Walsh instructed. Spike groaned and waited for the pain to subside.

"Can you speak?" Walsh said impatiently.

Spike gave a faint 'yes' . His voice was thin, cracked and dry.

"Good." Walsh said, "You understand English."

"I," Spike swallowed as his voice dried up, and he tried again, "I... I am bloody English."

"You are a vampire, correct?"  
Spike gave another cracked 'yes'. The machines connected to him through the wires were making noises, the bags connected to the tubes filled with various substances. _"Drugs"_ Spike hoped.

"You escaped from here before?"

"I...I did." Spike closed his eyes, the hunger was slowly becoming unbearable. The demon would not be blocked out. Even the searing pain from the electrical wires dulled to the need for blood. When his eyes opened again, they were a golden fire in his pale, gaunt face. The demon would NOT be blocked out. The lust powered him, and he gave a growl.

Walsh pushed a button to her right hand side and the world went black, Spike's thin body slumped lifelessly.

Spike awoke to find himself in a glass cell. However, this time there were no other demons. He was perfectly alone.

_"A private cage." _Spike thought, pushing himself slowly into an upright position. He groaned, as his chest ached and his head throbbed. He was no longer naked, but he did not have on his own clothes. He pushed himself painstakingly slowly over to the nearest wall, to rest. He felt like Hell, and he dimly remembered the events from before. It really was no surprise that he felt like hell; he'd had brain surgery and had had been butchered in one night (or day, or whatever the hell time of day it was). He was so very hungry. The drugs seemed to have stopped the actual burning bloodlust, but he was starving; literally. What the vampire has said, on Spike's first little visit to the Initiative's torture chambers, about biting your own arm swam back to him. Just to have blood in his mouth, any blood, would reduce the need. It wouldn't help him and he couldn't gain any nutrients from it, but it would maybe apease the demon.

He lifted his arm to his mouth, letting his face morph and slowly bit into his own wrist. He sucked hard on his own veins, and the pain was overcome by the taste. But the blood tasted peculiar. There were so many drugs in his body, it tainted the sweet metallic taste. He let go of his arm, wiping blood from his lips and looked down at the white paper tunic in which he was clothed. Where were his clothes?

He wiped his bleeding wrist on the tunic and wrapped his arms around himself, holding himself. He could almost meet his hands at his back... He was too thin, and he knew it. They'd sorted the chip, they'd even said so, but they'd also taken out one of his lungs. They would take the other one, too, and then he was to be killed by The Slayer. She was just cruel enough to not kill him. Even without lungs he wouldn't die. He'd go on unliving; unable to speak, unable to breathe. Spike groaned and curled up. Maybe someone would stake him soon. He could only hope and curse himself for letting the Slayer bring him back.

"Hostile 17 has not shown any signs of healing." Miss Jefferys reported. Maggie Walsh took a sip from her mug and replaced it on the table.

"He needs sustenance to heal." the girl said.

"Have the creature brought to the lab," Walsh said, "awake. He should be quite co-operative."

"He's weak." Jefferys agreed.

"Do not feel sympathetic towards them." Walsh said, "They are not people. Never forget that."

Miss Jefferys nodded and headed to the door.

"And Monika," Maggie said, Monika Jefferys turned around, "Don't restrain the Hostile."

They'd found the vampire asleep. Several armed soldiers were sent into the cell to retrieve him, but Spike was too far gone to put up much of a fight. They dropped him carelessly onto a gurney and took him to the lab. Spike groaned and closed his eyes, he wished he were dead. Real Dead. As in dusty.

Professor Walsh noted the blood stained tunic and Spike's wounded wrist.

"Self harm." she sighed, pulling a chair up so she could sit near his head.

"Starvation." Monika Jefferys said.

Maggie turned sharply and said to the uniformed men, "Get her out of here, her sympathy for this vampire is of no use to me." The soldiers escorted Monika from the lab, leaving Maggie alone with Spike.

"Hostil sevent-"

"I have a name." Spike interrupted quietly.

Maggie shook her head, "Not anymore,"

Spike turned his head slowly to look at her, "Kill me." he said.

"At the moment, you are too valuable to dispose of," she said, "You are an important piece of research," she stroked the back of her hand down his face and Spike turned his head to pull away from her. "when we are finished with you, Miss Summers will do as you wish. She will kill you."

"Sod your research." Spike whispered.

"I find you interesting," Walsh said, continuing to stroke Spike's face, "You were just a number; a mundane experiment in behaviour modification."

Spike lifted his hand to stop her stroking his face, but she grabbed his arm and held it firmly. "But after your escape, you managed to slip our grasp. You are not the only one to escape, yet the others were so easily found. You are stronger than the others."

Spike gave a weak laugh, "And you just love taking that away."

Maggie nodded, "Precisely," she smiled, but it wasn't friendly, "You're smarter than you look, demon."

Spike turned to her and spat in the older woman's face. It hit her right between the eyes and she jumped off the seat with a yell, her hands covering her face. She turned to the vampire lying weakened on the gurney and hit him; hard. Spike fell to the ground with a grunt.

"Just like a dirty demon to be so foul!" she said.

Spike closed his eyes as he concentrated hard on moving towards the door. Every movement was slow and painful, leaving him gasping for air. He'd barely moved half a meter when Walsh stood in his way. Spike stopped and collapsed.

"For experimental purposes," she said, as the armed men returned and lifted Spike's frail form, placing him back onto the gurney, this time strapping him down. "We will remove the second lung tomorrow." she said.

"I can tell you the outcome, now." Spike said his voice quiet, "Vampires don't need to breathe, we can survive."

"I am a scientist, vampire, I can't take your word for it."

"Without lungs, I can't bloody speak!" Spike said, desperation making his voice rasp as he tried to move. "I'll go _insane_ you bint!"

Prof. Walsh gave a nod and several of the men shot darts into the struggling vampire. The darts hit him in the side and his body began to relax, to the point where he couldn't move. Everything began to darken.

"Do not worry, vampire, we have other creatures." She turned to the soldiers, "Get him cleaned up and dressed. I want him sedated until tomorrow and then we will operate. I don't want him escaping again. After that we will continue tests, and then have him boxed in a crate and delivered to the girl to dispose of him."

_"Bollocks"_ Spike thought as the drugs took full effect and he was pulled under into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN - forgive me, this isn't a very good chapter :S_

**Chappie 6**

The cover of darkness is a wonderful thing. Sadly, in the Initiative, there is no darkness. A power outtage was a great idea; only it brings all of the attention of Walsh and her men directly into the darkened area, and you just know they have back up generators and back-up, back-up generators. But Monika was cunning, and she also had the help of Bob. Robert P. Emerson was a janitorial worker, yes, even top secret government ops need to keep their work places clean. He and his team cleaned up after all the operations and experiments, and kept the place generally neat and tidy. It was the highest paid Janitor employment around, and Bob enjoyed his job very much. He had a nice house, with a swimming pool and the best vacations around. For a manual labourer, he was living like a king!

But, he also had a soft-spot for young trainee scientists in white lab coats, with big brown eyes and big b- let's not get into that :P

Monika hit the code into the small box on the wall and checked the small screen to check that the lights in the West section were all out. The holding bay where Hostile Seventeen was being kept was in the East section of the massive operation.

Just as expected, all the security and personnel went running to the West Section, leaving their path temporarily clear.

"Let's go." Monika whispered, Bob nodded, "We don't have much time."

They silently made their way to the Holding bay. The vampire lay still on the floor inside the small cell. Monika produced the key card from her pocket (it was another operatives' card. She wasn't stupid enough to use her own.)

"I don't know why you bothered stealing that," Bob said, shaking his greying head wearily, "You'll be connected with all this somehow."

Monika shrugged and swiped the card. The cell door slid open and both she and Bob entered. The vampire didn't move. He was too weak; he couldn't overpower the drugs anymore. Monika knealt down beside the motionless demon and looked at his face. He was thin, and his skin was so pale it was almost transparent. She sighed, and held a hand out to Bob. Bob handed her the polythene bag containing the Hostile's leaver coat and jeans. The shirt and T-shirt were gone, as was anything in his pockets and his boots.

"I dont feel right doing this, Jeffery's." Bob said, as Monika slid Spike's jeans onto his unconscious form. They were too big and they'd taken the belt, she sighed and lifted him tentatively to slide on the coat. He was so light, and his body felt fragile beneath her fingers as if she could burst through his pale skin and snap his bones without effort.

"I know it's sad and everything, but you'll be court marshelled for this! They'll destroy you, you'll never work again... and me, what if they connect me to this?" Bob rambelled.

Monika Jefferys turned around, "Sad? Sad! This man has been abused and starved and treated like an animal and you think it's 'sad'! They'll destroy _him_, I'll just be fired... and maybe jailed."

"They'll do more than that, Miss Jefferys, they'll have you on the streets. They'll have you alienated and deported. Is this creature worth that? You know Maggie Walsh can do those things, she's one sadistic, twisted bitch."

Monika pointed at Spike, who was lying on the floor his pale chest framed in the black leather of his coat, the operation scar painfully red against his skin. "I know how sick she is." Jefferys said, she stood and brought the gurney into the small cell and lifted the limp vampire onto it.

"You said you'd help me, Bob, and without you, I'd never have gotten this far. Please," she looked into the old man's eyes, "Please, just do one more thing for me. Just let me get him out of here and to that girls' address and I'll ask nothing else of you."

Bob frowned, but nodded, "I still don't like this." he said throwing the white sheet over the gurney and Spike, covering him completely.

Monika kissed the old man's cheek, "Bob, you are a God-send."

"I'm a something, alright." he nodded.

The problem was, it wasn't her own address that Buffy had given them, it was Giles'. And Giles was in a very definate sleep when Miss Jefferys and Bob arrived in an unmarked van to deliver the box o' vampire. Monika knocked on the door, and knocked on the door, and eventually gave in to thumping loudly on the door and nobody answered. She turned to look at Bob who was in the getaway vehicle, with the engine running. She shrugged and he turned off the engine.

"No one's in." she sighed.

"That or they're not awake."Bob said, he gave her a gallic shrug, "Jus' put the envelope in the box and leave him there."

"But the sun," she said.

"Miss Jefferys, you've done more than enough for that creature. If anything, at least burning to death is better than whatever they could do to him in that place."

Monika nodded and turned to glance at the box, "You're right." she said, slipping the brown envelope under the lid. She paused, gave a sigh and headed for the van.

Giles awoke to the sound of a car screeching out of his drive. He glanced at the clock, it was too early for him to be awake. He grumbled and got out of bed slowly, What the hell was that all about?

He padded downstairs in his grey socks and looked out of the window. It was still dark, but he could see skid marks on his pavings.

"Typical." he mumbled and opened the door, stepping out and falling over a large crate which was sat just at his apartment front door. "What the-?" he looked at the crate for a moment, wondering what it was doing there when a horrible thought ran through his mind and he dragged the large box inside.

The lid wasn't sealed and he opened it slowly afraid of the contents. As well he should be.

"Oh, my God." Giles gasped as he saw Spike's face inside the box, "What have they done to you?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chappie 7**

They all sat huddled around the open box, staring at the disturbing contents.

"That's a pretty huge scar." Buffy said, "Why would he even have a scar there? It's not as if his brain is in his chest." she frowned, "Unless, there's somehting we really don't know about Spike."

Giles sighed and handed the Slayer a brown envelope, "I found this down the side of the box," he said, Buffy opened the envelope and looked at the contents. Her eyes widened,

"It's an x-ray." she said, holding one up, "An x-ray of... Spike?"

Giles nodded, taking a sip of tea. It was too early in the morning. He'd phoned Buffy straight away, and was now sitting amongst almost all of them including Willow's friend Tara. Giles had not been expecting so many of them at once.

"But-" Buffy blinked, "The scar... it's from..." she looked at Giles, who nodded.

"They seem to have done a little more work than was necessary, yes."

Willow took the x-ray from Buffy and her jaw dropped, "They took out organs?" she too blinked, "That's weird."

"I told them no to do anymore experiments on him!" Buffy said, "I said not to put... anything in his head..." she trailed off, realising her mistake, "Damn, they're so literal."

"I think they may have been testing to see how many organs a vampire can survive without." Giles said, shaking his head, "The covering note said that they had been planning to take both lungs, but for some... unknown reason, he was returned early."

" _'Get him out of town'_ ?" Buffy said, reading the last line on the note, "Giles, I don't think the initiative brought him back."

Giles sighed, "I'm afraid not."

"Giles, if he isn't meant to be back, have they sorted the chip, yet? Is he able to eat?" Buffy stood, a thought hitting her, "Oh, God, Riley! Riley got called away, do you think they think we had something to do with him being back?"

"Buffy I -" Xander began, but Riley burst through the door, interrupting him.

"Buffy, Spike's g-" Riley cut off, seeing the box, "He's here?"

Buffy stood and walked to Riley, hugging him. He kissed her forhead and then came over to peer into the box.

"How did he get here?"

"That's what we don't know. He was outside this morning." Giles said.

"All gift wrapped and everything." Xander said.

Riley frowned, "Professor Walsh is not going to like this." he said, "Apparently, they're not finished with him, yet."

Buffy waved the x-ray photos, "Oh, they're finished, alright." she said.

Deciding what to do had been a very difficult decision. They couldn't just get him out of town.Where would they send him? And staking him would defeat the entire point of having him sorted in the first place. But eventually an idea arrived.

"Angel?" Willow said, "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Yeah." Buffy said, "I mean, not an ace idea, but better than putting a stamp on him and sending him out to somewhere, right? Anyway, Angel's like his family... I can't exaclty phone up Drusilla, can I? Hello, crazy vampire without a phone-"

"What did he say?" Xander asked, "Angel, I mean. When you phoned him?"

"Well... he said he'd come." Buffy said.

"Did he say anything about what we could do for Spike?" Giles asked, cleaning his glasses.

"Well... I didn't exaclty mention Spike..." they all stared at her, "I mean, I just said we had a problem and maybe he could help..."

It was the next day. They were still sitting in the livingroom. Spike still lay unconscious inside the box like a piece of furniture. Xander and Anya were still watching TV, Giles was making yet more, tea and Buffy and Willow were studying, while Riley sat with his arms wrapped around the small blonde. Tara was helping Giles in the kitchen.

The knock on the door was loud and hurried and Willow went for it.

Standing in the doorway was a very tall sheet. Or rather, the person under it was very tall.

"Can I come in?" said a voice from under the very tall sheet.

"Come in." Willow said, stepping aside to let the vampire through hurriedly, while smoke billowed out from under the sheet. Angel dropped the sheet and put it to the side. Buffy stood, stepping away from Riley, who didn't like that much and frowned.

"Angel." she said, a little breathlessly. Riley didn't much like her breathlessness either... unless he was the cause. His frown deepened.

Angel stepped towards her, giving the room a glance, "Buffy, are you alright? I was worried."

Buffy hugged him and he carefully returned it, catching the glare from Riley.

"It's really rather fortunate you could come." Giles said, coming into the room, "He's in really bad shape."

Angel frowned, "Who is?" he glanced at Riley for a second.

"Spike." Buffy said.

Angel turned on her, "Spike? You brought me here to help Spike! You know how much I hate-" Angel caught a glimpse of the figure in the box, "Spike?"

He knealt down next to the box, trying to take in that this poor creature was his annoying, cocky, foul-mouthed Childe.

"What has he done to himself?" he asked, his voice changing from annoyed to soft in an instant.

"The Initiative caught him... again..." Buffy said, Riley was now beside her, exercising his boyfriendly right to be petty and jealous. "They did things to him."

"How long did they have him?"

"A week?" Buffy said, "They let him go and we had him for two days then he's been in for just under three again."

Angel's frown got frownier, yes he can do that, "A week? Only a week?"

It was Buffy's turn to frown, "I don't think he could have survived any longer." she said.

Angel stood up, "It has to be more." he said, he turned to Giles, "He's a master vampire, he shouldn't be this weak in only a week."

Giles shook his head, "He clearly can."

"Wait," Xander said, holding up one hand, "What's a master vampire?"

Angel ignored him, but Anya answered her lover's question.

"A master vampire is a vampire with the ability to lead. They're stronger and better skilled than normal vampires and in some cultures, only a master vampire can create new vampires."

"And Spike's one?" Xander asked in disbelief, "Wow, talk about unlikely..."

Angel looked at him, "He's one of my line, we've got quite a few master vampire's in our line."

"Are you one?" Riley asked, looking for a challenge.

Angel turned to him, and nodded, "Yeah, I am." he said, simply.

Giles, sensing a fight coming on, pushed onto the next question.

"How can we revive him?" he asked, motioning to Spike.

Angel hunched his shoulders, "There's only one way." he said, knealing down beside the box and sinking fang into his own wrist.

"Oh." Tara said, covering her eyes, Willow slipped her hand into her girlfriend's hand.

Angel held his bleeding wrist over the younger vampire's mouth and let the blood fall onto his thin face. Nothing happened at first, but eventually Spike licked his lips and his eyes flew open at the first taste of blood. His eyes were not blue nor the yellow of the demon. They seemed colourless, misted over. He looked blind. He began to catch the blood in his mouth and eventually lifted his emaciated hands to pull the other vampire's wrist down to meet his lips. He sucked hard on the wrist, taking in as much blood as possible. After a few minutes, Angel pried his wrist away and Spike lay panting in the box. The colour began to return to his eyes, and he could see again.

"I-I can breathe." he whispered, his voice thin.

Angel ran a finger down the scar on Spike's chest, "Why wouldn't you?"

Spike blinked as if just realising it was Angel, "What are you...doing here?" He asked, then paused, "When-when did I get here?" He tried to sit up, but Angel put a hand lightly on his chest and eased him onto his back.

"Lie still." he said, "Giles, is there any packets of blood?"

Giles returned with two packets of heated blood and a mug.

"No..." Spike said, seeing the blood, "I can't drink that."

Angel scowled and poured one packet into the mug, "Try." he said. Buffy knealt down beside Angel and lifted the sickly vampire into a sitting position, supporting him.

Spike closed his eyes and tried to turn away from the mug, "I can't." he said, "Don't you hear me? I bloody can't!" he tried to struggle, but he could barely move, "They've made bloody sure of it. Cut me up, made me-"

"Shut up, Spike." Buffy said, as Angel lifted the mug to his mouth. "You're babbling."

"Bint." Came the reply, but the word just didn't have anythingbehind it. Spike could smell the blood and it made him mad with hunger. He took a sip and waited on the pain coming. But it didn't come. He smiled, still panting, and took another sip of the blood. The pain still didn't come and he stopped fighting, going limp against the Slayer, his eyes closing. He felt exhausted.

"No, Spike." Angel said, grabbing him under the chin, forcing him to look up at him, "Wake up. You need to drink more."

"Tired." Spike said, "Sleep..."

Buffy manouvered him into a better position, so she could hold him and the mug herself, and held the blood to the vampire's mouth, "Spike, if you don't drink this, I'll make you drink it." she said, "You can sleep after this." Spike looked at her, but his vision was wavy and everything was fuzzy and out of focus.

"So bloody tired..." he said, "Please..." Buffy poured the blood onto his lips and he slowly licked them clean.

"That's it." she said, pouring more into his mouth. Spike's eyes rolled up to meet her gaze and he gave in and starting gulping the blood. "Good." Buffy said, making a face at her friends, "This is digusting."

After two mugs, Spike couldn't drink anymore. He just wanted to sleep. Buffy carefully placed the thin, shaking vampire back into the box and Willow brought a blanket out of Giles' cupboard.

"He'll sleep for a bit, then we should get him to drink some more." Buffy said, standing up, "It's the only way to make him better."

Giles nodded and replaced his glasses onto his nose. "I think, we should perhaps, take him out of the box, also." he said.

They'd taken him out of the box, but now he was taking up sofa-space, so everyone else had to sit on chairs and the floor. Angel and Buffy had been talking for a long time upstairs and Riley was getting really pissed off. Tara and Willow were sitting at the table reading history books, they were on vampire-watching duty.

"Do you think he's OK?" Tara asked, her girlfriend looked up from her book.

"I don't know... It's not like he can die from it, so yeah, I'm sure he'll be okay, in the long run."

"Oh... No, i mean't Riley." Tara said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Riley?"

"Yeah, with Angel being here and everything? I mean, isn't Angel Buffy's exboyfriend?"

"Yeah, but Angel and Buffy are... over. And Buffy loves Riley... Why? Do you think they're in trouble?" Willow asked, suddenly glancing at Riley, who was sitting with Xander and Anya, but instead of looking at the TV screen, he was staring up the stairs.

"Oh, n-no, I'm sure they're fine. I just think R-Riley looks a bit... apprehensive?" Tara said, suddenly wishing she hadn't mentioned anything at all.

Willow looked at Riley again, "I'm sure they'll be OK... I mean, of course they will. I think." she said.

Tara gave her a self-conscious smile and squeezed Willow's hand.

"He's awake." Anya called over her shoulder to the girls. Willow and Tara both jumped and Willow went to the sofa, where Spike lay.

Buffy and Angel both appeared on the stairwell and headed into the livingroom,

"He's awake?" Buffy asked, she couldn't really explain her sudden interest in the misfortunate vampire, but somehow seeing anyone so weak made her feel such sympathy. She sat down next to Spike, who wasn't very happy with all the attention.

"You OK?"

"Yeah...jus'... need-" Spike stopped and lifted a hand to his head, "Ow."

"What? What's 'ow'?"

Spike let out a groan and let his hand drop, "Headache..." he said, with a faint smile on his lips.

"A chip-related one?" Willow asked, peering over the back of the sofa. The vampire looked up at the young witch, "No." he said, his voice a whisper.

"Asprin?"

"They don't work on Vampires." Angel said, everyone turned to look at him, "We're too strong for them." he explained.

"I don't feel bloody strong." Spike mumbled.

Buffy sighed, as Giles walked into the room, "Oh, is he awake?" Giles asked.

"Yeah." was the reply.

Giles came to the side of the vampire, "You don't look any different." he said, he turned to Angel, "Surely, he should have started healing by now?"  
Angel shrugged.

Giles lifted the sleeve of Spike's duster (which was still the only thing covering his upper body) revealing the messy scarring on his wrist. Spike tried to pull his arm away, and failed.

"What is that?" Buffy asked, taking hold of Spike's arm.

"Hey." Spike protested.

"Did you bite yourself?"

Spike looked away, "Yeah..."he said, "I was hungry... Needed to...-needed to feed."

"You do know there is no nutritional value in your own blood." Anya stated, still sitting on the sofa.

Spike frowned, "Yeah." he looked at Angel, who was not looking very happy, although, when does he ever? "I was locked up!" Spike argued, his voice disappearing, "Had-had to-"

Willow handed a mug full of blood to Buffy.

"It's Okay," Buffy said, holding the mug to his lips.Spike turned his head away,

"I'll do it myself." he said.

"Be my guest." Buffy said, moving back. Spike tried to push himself up, but he just couldn't. It felt like his arms would break from the effort. He gave an exasperated grunt and fell back to the sofa.

"See?" Buffy said, pushing the mug to his lips and sliding a hand under his back to lift him.

Spike gave her a deathglare, but decided to drink the offering; he really was starving.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chappie 8**

_AN - Forgive the lateness, had University stuff to write :P And had a small virus scare on the home computer :P_

It had been another day of perpetual torment. The problem was, that in theory lying around all day having people, even your mortal enemies, checking you're ok sounds great. But in real life, it's a pain. Spike felt utterly useless, and not to mention, no matter how much blood he seemed to consume, he was just not getting any better. The scars were still clearly visible, his clothes still did not fit and he couldn't get up without his senses going fuzzy, leaving him on the floor. He was bored. He was sick of Angel giving him the evil glare, and he was, quite frankly, feeling a little cabin fevered.

The other problem was, that everyone else was getting fed up, too. The having a wounded, starved vampire in the house feeling had lost it's appeal, and now he was just a good-looking, undead lump on the sofa. Xander and Anya had taken to ignoring him completely, which Spike would have been quite happy about, if they hadn't decided to start kissing on the other sofa.

"Oh, bloody hell, you're making me feel sick." He said, for the seventh time. Anya unstuck herself from Xander to look at the blonde on the couch.

"Cease your complaints. We are having private time." she said, "It's not like we're all naked and sweaty or anything."

Spike raised his eyebrows, "Don't you dare." he warned.

"Shut up, Spike." Xander said, he turned to his girlfriend, "Anya, we wouldn't EVER get naked and sweaty or anything in front of him, anyway." he said, "Ever." he added as she looked at him in that inquisitive, 'I can change your mind' manner she has.

"Well, could we go somewhere else and get naked and sweaty? I would quite like to have an orgasm, it's been so many hours since our last ones."

Xander gawped and tried to shut her up, but he caught Spike's eye and realised it was too late.

"Oh ho ho, hours, is it? What's wrong, you having man-troubles, boy?" Spike chuckled, "Not enough juice there to hold it up?"

Xander glared at him, and folded his arms. Anya frowned,

"Xander, you've stopped holding me." she said.

Angel walked in, took a look at the situation and wished he hadn't bothered coming through.

"Oh, now we're not even going to snuggle? Just because Spike thinks your incapable of an erection?" Anya was demanding in an overly loud tone. Angel looked at Spike who was lying on the couch, a slightly smug look on his thin face.

"You just love to stir trouble." Angel said.

"Yeah, but it's fun. Need some fun around here, mate. I was having more fun on the sodding operating table." Spike said, pushing himself slowly into an upright position. He tried to slide the coat off, but wasn't managing very well. Angel sighed and pulled the coat off of his childe, revealing his bare and scarred chest.

"Giles is right." Angel said, as Anya and Xander noisely argued their way into the kitchen, "You should have started healing by now."

Spike looked down at his scarred chest and arm, he inspected the other arm, where there were small dotted scars from countless injections and darts and tubes. "Yeah, well, I'm not." he said, Angel sighed and sat down beside him.

"I still don't like you," Spike said, feeling Angel was getting a little too close, "Don't think I'm not grateful, but I'm not you're friend."

Angel raised an eyebrow, "You think I like you?" he asked, "I don't care about you, Spike."

"Good." Spike said, "Glad we're clear on that, then." he gave a nod, "I get out of here, and never have to see you again."

Angel laughed, "Fine by me."

"Bloody good." Spike said, with a sniff. He pushed himself to his feet and stood unsteadily, leaning on the couch back for support.

"What are you doing?" Angel asked, standing up, head and shoulders above Spike.

"I need a shower." Spike said, gripping the couch so hard for balance that his knuckles were turning an even whiter white than they already were. All his bones seemed to be protruding through the skin.

"No," Angel said, laying a hand on the younger vampire's shoulder, "Just lie down."

"I need a shower." Spike repeated through gritted teeth.

"Why?" Angel said, beginning to push Spike back onto the sofa.

"I still have dried blood in my hair!" Spike argued, "I've been here for soddin' days; I smell."

"Really? I thought you just always smelled like that." even to himself, he sounded childish and stupid.

"Just let me go." Spike said, failing miserably to keep himself standing. Angel stopped trying to force him to sit down, letting Spike slowly raise back to his feet.

"Look at you," Angel said, giving Spike the once over, "You can barely stand, you look like an advert for famine relief."

Spike gave a disgruntled groan, "I can't just sit about anymore." he said.

"It didn't used to bother you." Angel argued.

"Yeah, well I'm taking a shower. I promise, if I meet a scary spider I'll give you a call." Spike said, taking a step towards the door.

Angel followed him, and grabbed Spike around the bare waist as his legs gave way.

"Gerroff me!" Spike yelled, "Jus' let go. I can take a shower."

"Fine." Angel said, letting go. Spike slid to the floor, "Go take a shower."

"good." Spike said, his voice strained as he pushed himself to his knees, "Just need a minute to-" he couldn't quite make it to his feet.

Angel sighed and grabbed the younger man around the waist again.

"Couldn't you at least not hold me like a bloody woman?" Spike demanded, Angel rolled his eyes and shifted his grip to Spike's shoulders.

"Better?"

"Yep."

Angel headed to the bathroom, supporting Spike.

It wasn't until they'd got there that Angel pointed out another problem, "How are you going to take a shower if you can't stand?"

"Bugger." Spike said.

"I'm so not taking a shower with you." Angel said.

"Bloody right!" Spike shouted, "I'm not like that."

Angel raised his eyebrows.

Spike growled, "You made me that time." he said, defensively, "You were the one who wanted to try it. Anyway, I like women. You're the one with the higher male body count, mate."

Angel scowled, "Just because I've sired men doesn't make me gay." he said, taking his turn to get defensive.

Spike laughed, "You're a poofter, admit it."

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Angel pointed out, "And I am not. Anyway, I was Angelus back then."

"Oh, so that changes everything, it's _Angelus_ who's a bloody great nancy." Spike said, Angel glared at him.

"What about a bath?"

Spike's eyes widened, "Not with you I'm not!"

Angel sighed, this conversation was getting tiresome, "No, you idiot, you don't have to stand in the bath."

"oh." Spike said, catching on, "I see."

Angel shook his head and started running the bath. "If Buffy comes back and you're drowning, she's not going to be pleased." Angel said, as Spike unbuttoned his oversized jeans and tried to slide them off, with a few curses. Angel shook his head and left him to his swearing.

Spike sighed, lifting the razor sitting in the soapdish to his right carefully. If he was going to do this, it would have to be quick, Angel would probably come back in at some point soon, and he wouldn't understand, and if Buffy came in... well, she wouldn't understand either. He slipped a finger under the blade and broke it off of the guard, slicing his finger down to the bone with a hiss of pain. He closed his eyes, preparing for more pain and sliced down his wrist, following the biggest vein. Blood spilled out in a thick haze of red. Spike licked up the cut and made a face, the blood tasted vile. It was too dark; barely blood at all. All he could taste was the toxin. The toxin that was keeping him this way. It had to be, he had no other explanation. He switched hands and gave the other wrist the same treatment, letting the blood drip out in scarlet rivers into the bathwater. He lifted the blade to his chest and sliced deeply down the scarred line, reopening it. The pain was awful and exciting at the same time. Spike blinked, holding back his demon visage. Pain and blood always brought it out. He lifted the blade to his throat and braced himsefl before making a clean cut across his jugular vein, letting the liquid fall from his throat down to merge in a sticky mess with the blood on his chest.

Angel and Buffy were sitting in the livingroom with Giles and Riley. Willow had left earlier to go to a study class and Xander and Anya had disappeared off after their arguement. They were deep in conversation, regarding Spike's predicament, glad of a few minutes when he couldn't hear them. Angel stopped talking and sniffed the air mid-sentence, like a dog.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, she was unconsciously rubbing up and down Riley's arm. Riley had barely noticed, he'd been carefully watching Angel the whole time.

"Blood." Angel said, standing up and making his way hastily towards the bathroom. The others followed suit. What they saw in that bathroom was nothing they would have ever have thought to expect. Spike lay face down in the shallow water, one thin arm over the side of the tub. There was a crimson puddle on the floor and the bathwater was pink. The room reeked of death and blood. They all just stared at the scene, unable to make sense of it. Spike didn't move. He didn't breathe. He was barely recognisible, lying in the tub, face down and bloody like a wraith. His bleached hair had dark roots showing through, but any bleach left was dyed pink with his own blood.

"Get a towel." Angel said, going towards the bathtub.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chappie 9**

_AN - Thankyou for the great reviews!!! You're all so quick to review, it's hard to keep up, lol. BTW, found a great messenger called 'imvu' it's amazing XD if anyone wants to come chat, my avatar name is Phantasievoll :) remember to say that you are on fanfiction, though :)_

_Hope you enjoy I have some new story threads to sneak into this story :D_

Spike was soaked, naked and lying wrapped in a towel. Getting him out of the bath had been difficult. He was slick with blood, and there was very little of him left to get a grip on. Angel had had to drain the bath first, and then manouever him out of the tub without 1) hurting him anymore than he already was and 2) letting anyone see more than they cared to.

The younger vampire seemed unconscious. There was little to no blood left in his body at all, and Angel was concerned that maybe he was too far gone to rescue. Not that Angel cared at all, he really couldn't give a damn if Spike was saved. Or, at least, that's what he told himself. Problem was, that he did care, and now he was finding it difficult to conceal just how much he cared about the moronic, cockney one, because he was lying on the floor beside him opening another of his veins to revive him.

"Stupid." Angel said, holding his bloody wrist over Spike's mouth.

The towel was now blood soaked, too, and was sticking to Spike's wounds. Spike's face was skull like and his skin was waxy. He looked like a badly made waxwork of himself. The blood just dripped uselessly onto his lips. Angel made a sound of exasperation and forcefully lifted Spike onto his knee. The unconcious man was a dead weight (even at that he weighed very little) and Angel found that he couldn't hold him up and feed him at the same time.

"Angel, maybe we shouldn't do this in such a rush, he is a vampire, after all." Giles said, Angel's shoulders were hunched as he tried to move Spike so that he could hold him and feed him at the same time. The older vampire gave the Watcher a look.

"So?"

"Surely, he can survive without blood. I'm just pointing out that maybe we should let him rest, dry him up..."

"Maybe put some clothes on him." Buffy added, everyone looked at her, "You know, 'cause naked Spike; not on my top ten list of must-see's."

"Are you sure?" Riley asked, his voice full of venom, "He wouldn't be the first naked dead man in your life."

Buffy scowled at her boyfriend, Riley was usually so lovely, so passive, so trusting. Now he was acting like a school boy who's favourite girl to tease was having her lunchbox stolen by a bigger bully.

Angel, deciding to ignore the young man's comment, looked at Giles, still cradling Spike. "If we don't put some blood into his system, he might become brain-dead."

"Well, that's not much of a-" Buffy began, but stopped abruptly, "Sorry. Bad taste."

"Vampires have no pulses." Giles pointed out, getting into a nice biology lesson "He wouldn't have blood or oxygen running through his brain anyway."

Angel shook his head, "There's still blood there, we need it. That's why we drink blood, it keeps us alive... animate."

"Without a pulse, surely there'd still be blood in his brain? He didn't cut his head open." Buffy said.

Another shake of the head, "A bag of liquid doesn't have a pulse, but if you make one cut into it, all of the contents will come out."

"So... Spike's a bag of blood?"

"Yeah... Sort of." Angel shrugged, "The point is, we need to put as much blood into his system as possible before his brain is starved of oxygen and shuts down."

"What if that's already happened?" Riley asked, not sounding very upset if it had.

Angel ignored the comment, turning back to the lacks Spike who wasn't doing anything at all.

"That's not helping." Buffy said, Riley scowled.

She turned back to watch Angel struggling with the unconscious man on the floor, he gave Buffy a pleading look and the Slayer knelt down to help.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked, his voice so full of suspicion and jealousy it was visibly green.

"Helping." Buffy said, taking Spike from Angel's lap and pulling him onto her own. Riley made a huffy noise and left. Giles frowned and then shook his head, he felt like the only adult in the house again. He walked to the kitchen for some supplies. Angel couldn't very well let Spike drain him; they'd need animal blood sooner or later. And it was a nice reason to leave the bathroom. The smell of blood was foul, and he didn't really want to look at the mess of his bath which he would have to clean. That, and deep down, Giles couldn't bring himself to look at what had become of Spike...

Angel forced his open wrist once again, into his Childe's mouth. It took a good few minutes, but eventually he saw a movement. Spike opened an eye slowly and made a groan. It hurt, the slit on his throat was too deep to talk. Spike tried to move, but he couldn't, Angel forced his wrist deeper into Spike's jaw and the younger vampire's eyes widened, but he couldn't stop anything that was happening to him. He couldn't move. Buffy unconsciously stroked her fingers down Spike's cheek as he drank the blood. It hurt to swallow, and he couldn't even whimper from the pain.

Giles returned to the bathroom and handed Buffy the mug of heated blood. She gave him a quick smile.

"Angel," she said, holding the mug out to him.

Angel looked up, it looked like Spike was hurting him. Buffy frowned.

"Give him this." she said, trying to pry Angel's hand out of Spike's mouth without dropping Spike's head on the hard tile floor.

"I don't think it should be this complicated." Giles said, as Angel managed to get his wrist out of Spike's mouth, a little chewed, and forced the mug between Spike's lips instead. Spike's hand came up and tried to grab the mug, but Angel grabbed his wrist and pinned it to Spike's chest.

"Spike likes to complicate things." Angel pointed out, as the pinned vampire stopped fighting and lay silent, too weak to overcome them.

"True." Buffy said, realising she was still stroking her hand against Spike's face and stopping it abruptly. "Why did he do this?" she asked, glancing at the bloodied bath.

Giles shrugged, "To ruin my bathroom?"

The Slayer gave her Watcher a look and he replaced his glasses onto his nose. "It's difficult to say." he corrected, "We'll need to ask him, oursleves."

"That's if he can still speak." Angel sighed, turning Spike's head so he could see the slit-throat, "He's cut himself pretty deep; might take a while to heal."

"If he does heal." Buffy pointed out. Angel stood, taking hold of Spike like a child and carrying him through to the livingroom.

Angel was watching his Childe carefully, Spike had not done anything that would prove himself brain damaged or otherwise. He wasn't brain-dead, or he couldn't have moved and tried to speak, but it was possible that they were too late. What if they hadn't found him soon enough? What if he was stuck child-like and helpless?

Buffy watched Angel's face carefully, guessing what he was thinking. She put a hand on his arm, Angel looked up at her, like he'd forgotten she was there.

"He'll be ok." she said, wishing she could do anything to wipe the look on her ex-lover's face. Angel nodded mutely, returning his gaze to the emaciated vampire on the floor.

"Yeah..." he said doubtfully, "Yeah, he'll be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

_An- Hey everyone, sorry for the lateness!!! Thanks for all being such good sports and continuing to read! The reviews are mucho appreciated :)_

_Hani xXx_

Chappie 10

Spike awoke an hour later. Angel was still sitting by him, although his eyes were on the TV. He stared blankly at the screen, not really paying any attention to it. Spike gave a sigh, and it hurt his throat, causing him to choke a little. Angel turned at the noise, and moved over swiftly, to check on Spike.

"Lie still." he said darkly, holding the younger vampire down, "Spike." he warned as the younger vampire tried to move.

Spike stopped moving and blinked up at Angel. He tired to speak, but it hurt too much. He began to wish he'd not been so liberal with the slicing.

"You idiot. What have you done to yourself?" Angel said, lifting a glass of cool blood and holding it to Spike's mouth, "Stupid boy."

Spike frowned and turned his head away from the glass.

"Oh no," Angel said, forcing Spike to face him, "You will drink this. And you will tell me what the hell you were thinking cutting yourself up like that." Angel watched Spike's face carefully, watched all the expressions of rage and anger wash over his thin features. And he knew, with some relief, that it was Spike in there; there was no damage... No mental damage, anyway.

There was no alternative. Spike did not really want to gulp down a glass of cold, thickening pig blood, but if it was that or get squashed by Angel, he'd take the blood. He just wasn't in the mood to get thrashed, right now. He took a sip and it was like swallowing broken glass. He grimaced, his head jerking back a little. Angel pushed the glass to his lips again, spilling some blood onto Spike's bare chest. It ran down his too pale skin, leaving a red trail down his too visible rib-cage.

Spike suddenly became aware that he had no clothes on, other than the strategically placed towel. _"Where are my clothes?"_ he thought, but his train of thought was interuppted by more blood getting forced into his mouth. He took large painful gulps, finishing the glass. His throat was on fire, he lifted a hand to it and came away with blood. Cold blood. It was the blood he'd just drank.

"You cut yourself pretty deep." Angel said, watching Spike stare at his hand, "You've barely healed at all."

Spike inspected his wrists. The cuts looked angry and fresh. He'd been unconscious for some time, surely the air should have dried up the blood?

Angel grabbed one of Spike's wrists and held it firmly, "Why did you do this?"

Spike just glared at him, how could he answer?

Angel scowled, standing up,still clutching Spike's bleeding wrist.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?" Angel demanded.

Spike rolled his eyes, why is it, when you can't speak, people keep asking you bloody questions?

Angel glared at him; insolent Childe. He grabbed Spike by the shoulder, dropping his wrist, and began shaking him violently.

"What the hell did you do?" he growled.

Spike couldn't stop him. Everything hurt with every shake,the world began to darken.

"Angel! What are you doing?" Buffy demanded, walking in to the scene. She pulled her ex-lover off of the other vampire, "Why are you assaulting him?"

Angel stood, stooping slightly, turning away from Buffy and Spike.

"I lost my temper." he mumbled, walking for the door.

Buffy looked down at Spike who was clutching his ripped throat, his eyes closed tight in pain. The Slayer shook her head, taking a look at Spike's slit wrists and torso.

"Spike."

Spike looked up, one hand still on his throat.

"He's just worried," the slayer said, not really knowing what to say.

Spike gave her a smirk; a shadow of the usual one.

Buffy nodded, walking away. She so did not want to deal with this right now.

Spike had began to heal. His throat was still scarred, but he could speak, now. Angel had avoided him since the little shaking incident, and Spike told himself to be glad about it... But some small, awful part of him, kept wondering if Angel would comeback through the door. Spike shrugged that annoying little part away, but it didn't want to seem to budge.

Giles entered the room with two mugs.

"I brought you some blood." he said, handing Spike a mug and sitting himself down opposite him.

"How unusual and new." Spike said darkly, taking a sip regardless. He was stronger now, able to sit up. It had been a relief to not have to be helped anymore. He'd even managed to get his jeans on.

Giles took a sip from his own mug, which contained tea.

"You don't have anything stronger?"Spike asked, resting the mug on his knee.

"No, I'm afraid not." Giles said, "Spike, I really must insist that you tell me why."

"Why what?" Spike asked, putting on his best 'blissfully ignorant' face.

Giles put the mug down onto the small table and leaned forward on his knees, "You know very well 'what'," he said, "tell me why you thought it necessary to go slicing yourself up."

Spike pursed his lips, then decided to answer, "Yeah, ok, I'll tell you." he said, also putting his mug onto the table, "If you agree to let me go."

Giles frowned, "Let you go? Spike, you're not a prisoner."

"No, I'm an inpatient, and I don't really want to be, so let me go."

"We plan to," Giles informed him, "when you're ready."

"Well, I'm bloody ready." Spike said, meeting the Watcher's gaze steadily.

"Spike, you're clearly not ready to be on your own." Giles said.

Spike raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you say that?"

Giles shook his head in despair, "My dear boy, we just found you slicing yourself up in the bathroom!"

"Well, I had to, didn't I?" Spike said, getting exasperated.

Giles blinked, intrigued once again. "Why?"  
Spike sighed and lifted the blood, taking a sip. "I needed to do it, so I would heal."

Giles frowned, "You needed to bleed yourself, so that you would heal?"

Spike nodded, "Yeah." He ran a had over his jean pockets, searching for cigarettes, "Where are my smokes?" he asked, a frown creasing his features.

Giles shrugged, "I belive they took away most of the contents of your coat in the Initiative."

The vampire groaned, "Bloody typical."

The watcher looked at him, willing him to continue his explanation. Spike caught his gaze, "Oh, right, yeah... I... there was stuff-"

"Stuff?" The older Englishman asked, frowning.

"Drugs, toxins and the likes, still there... in me." Spike shrugged, "They were stopping me healing."

"That's why you were so weak." Angel said, entering the room slowly.

Spike looked up at him and nodded, "Needed to get it all out, so's I could heal up,right?"

"But why didn't you say anything?" Giles asked.

Spike frowned, "'Excuse me, Slayer, would you loan me a knife so I can go get rid of some poison?' Yeah, that would work."

Giles shook his head. "He really is unbearable, isn't he?" he said, over Spike's head to Angel. Angel nodded,

"Yes, it's a talent."

Spike scowled, "Now, that we've established that I'm not suicidal, can I go now?"

"No." Angel said, "Not yet."

Spike glared at him, "Why the hell not? You planning on trying some surgery yourself?"

"Because you're still sick, Spike. You can't look after yourself."

"I'm not sick. This isn't some bloody flu." he stood up, shaking off the fuzzy feeling that came over him, "They left me. Left me in that bloody torture chamber!" he said, pointing at Giles.

Angel stepped forward and pushed the younger vampire back onto the sofa, "No one left you." he assured him, trying to calm him down.

Spike pulled back away form Angel's fussing, "Sod off." he said. Angel frowned and stepped back.

"Buffy didn't leave you there, Spike. The arrangement was three days."

"Three days." Spike scoffed, folding his arms, "Felt like three bloody weeks."

"Yes, well, we didn't exaclty know what we were signing up for-"

Spike sat up angrily, "You didn't sign up for anything, Rupert. No, I was the one who was signed up; I was the one getting cut up. Me! Taking out things that they have no right to. Putting in things..."

"If we hadn't taken you back in there, Buffy would have had to stake you." Giles pointed out, giving Angel a worried glance at Spike's obvious hysteria.

Spike made to say something, then changed his mind, and pushed himself onto his feet, "Out of my way." he said.

"Where are you going?" Angel demanded.

Spike took a breath and faced the other men, "My crypt." he said, "Get away from you and yours." he lifted his duster and walked carefully for the door. He could pass out at home, passing out now would not be good.

Maggie Walsh nodded to the guards as she entered the holding bay. Show courtesy to your troops, that was her moto... Except for drugging them and using them for her own means...

She opened the door to the human section, a private set of cells for those found in cahoots with subterrestials.

"Monika, Monika." the professor said, shaking her head, "You are a disappointment."

Monika stood up from the cell bunk, blinking back her tears and faced her jailor.


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN - Just to let you know, the feedback has been amazing (and very much appreciated)!!!I think this is my most successful story ever, and to think, I'd been putting off writing it, because I thought it was crap! Thankyou all so much for your patience, and I'll try and keep the updates coming :)**_

_**mit lieb,**_

_**Hani xXx**_

**chappie 10**

Angel and Giles stood staring in silence at the door through which Spike had just disappeared.

"Did he just... walk out?" Angel asked, his frown deepening impossibly.

"I believe so." Giles said, he sighed and removed his glasses, getting ready for the inevitable, "I think it would be wise to go after him." he said, turning to the vampire. Angel turned and gave the watcher a look.

"Oh, do you?"

Giles sighed, "This is no time to be petty. Spike could get hurt."

Angel scowled, he shook his head, "Why can't he just do what he's told?"

Giles shrugged, "I think we all know the answer to that one."

Angel nodded, "He's a moron?" and actually gave a smile as he headed towards the door after his willful Childe.

He didn't, however, have far to go, as just then the door opened and both Willow and Tara came in. They each had one of Spike's arms over their shoulders as they hoisted him in. The vampire didn't seem to be conscious, he hung loosely between the two witches, his feet dragging on the floor. Without his shirt he looked emaciated and vulnerable, his jeans were sliding down, but not enough to reveal anything, yet.

Angel closed his eyes and made a mental growl, before taking the younger vampire from the two witches.

"W-we found him lying outside, n-near your car, Mr. Giles." Tara said, averting her gaze from anyone who met it.

Willow nodded, a kind of lost look on her face, "What was he doing out there?"

"He tried to go back to his crypt." Giles said, replacing his spectacles on his nose.

"He just walked out?" Willow asked, looking from Giles to Angel, "You didn't stop him?"

"Well,-"

"He just went-" Angel said, sounding lame, even to himself.

"Giles, I thought we were trying to help him?" Willow said, "I thought we were looking after him?"

Tara, sensing danger, put a tentative hand on Willow's arm and gave her a smile, calming her. Willow returned her lover's smile.

"You're right," Willow said, shaking her head, "At least he's ok."

Angel sighed and went over to Spike who was lying at an odd angle on the sofa, "Define 'okay'."

Buffy sighed, cracking her neck. She'd just got back to her dorm room, after several days Spike-sitting at Giles' she was up for some boyfriend time. She pulled her brown halter-neck on and arranged it into shape, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The problem was she'd never really been bothered about Spike before. He was a pain in her ass; an old enemy who'd been demoted. She'd never really regarded him as anything else other than someone who got on her nerves and wanted her dead... except that one time with Willow's 'I will it so' spell... but even when betrothed to the bleached menace, he'd still got on her nerves and he'd still wanted her dead. But now, she was all with the helping of him. She'd given up time and even risked her boyfriend's job to help the poor creature. She'd even been a little upset (even if she wouldn't admit it) when they'd found him sliced up in the bathtub. Buffy shook her head and lifted her, no Willow's, hairbrush dragging it through her golden locks. She was confused.

Riley was waiting in the hall when Buffy walked out. He gave her a smile, but it wasn't his usual jubiliant 'hiya-Buffy-I'm-all-soppy-over-you' smile.

"What'sup?" Buffy asked, bouncing into the hall putting her earrings in at the last minute, "You've not got 'happy-face'."

"I have news."

"'news-face'?" Buffy pouted, "That's never fun."

Riley kissed her cheek, "Yeah, really not." and they headed out of the hall into the grounds.

"So?"

Riley sighed, "Professor Walsh just called a big meeting," Riley sighed and stopped talking.

"uh-huh?" Buffy prodded, when Riley paused and didn't continue.

"It was a new girl, one of the training surgeons, who let Hostile 17 out." Riley said, his voice quiet, a smile on his face that had nothing to do with the conversation and everything to do with pretence; just a boy and his short, blonde, super-human girlfriend, out on a date.

Buffy, incapable of being undercover, looked shocked, "What did she do that for?"

"As far as I can tell? She felt sorry for him, thought they were going to kill him."

Buffy nodded, "I'm sorry Riley, it's your job, but they were planning on taking his lungs out! Even to Spike, I can't let that happen."

Riley sighed again, "The girl's in the lock-up area, she's being court-marshalled, it was a janitor who turned her in. An old guy; Bob. He's been there a long time."

Buffy frowned, "We should do something."

"That's not the issue." Riley said, losing his pleasant fake smile and turning to Buffy, his face serious, as he towered over her, "They want him dead, Buffy. They don't trust you, hell, they don't even trust me. Walsh wants that man good and dusty. The lung they took out turned to dust after 48 hours, so he's no use to their research, but they don't want him living, having seen what he's seen." Riley gripped the Slayer's shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze, "They'll come for him, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. We're just in the way."

Buffy's eyes widened, "After all this trouble, you want to hand him over? For what, a pat on the back and a lollipop? Riley, we can't."

Riley turned away, "Think about it, Buffy, they already know where all of you live. Sooner or later they'll narrow it down, and they have a liscence to stop anyone in their way. People could get hurt, your friends. For what? A vampire?"

Buffy folded her arms, "And this has nothing to do with Angel?"

Riley frowned, "Why would it-?"

Buffy found herself laughing, "I can see Riley! I know you think there's something going on! I can assure you, you are so wrong."

Riley opened his mouth to say something, but Buffy walked away, "Date's over."

Everything was fuzzy when Spike opened his eyes, like being underwater. He groaned, recognising where he was.

"Thought I'd got out of here." he said, his voice quiet.

"You passed out outside." Angel said, leaning over the younger vamp, "What the hell were you playing at?"

Spike swallowed, "I need to get out of here." he said quietly, "Don't think it's not appreciated, but I just can't stay here anymore." Spike tried to get up.

Angel sighed and helped Spike to sit up, "Why can't you just let yourself get better?"

"I am better!" Spike said, Angel raised an eyebrow, "yeah, well I am." Spike said huffily. "look, if I get back to my crypt, I'll be alright. Got everything I need there, plenty blood..."

Angel scowled, "Spike, I know you, you drink a glass a day and think that's fine. You need at least a pint, and you're lucky if bother having half of one."

Spike shook his head, "Yeah, because you care."

"I do."

"Piffle," Spike said, waving a hand, "You just think it's a good way to get into the Slayer's pants." he raised his arms in retreat, as Angel tensed, "Hey, point for trying, mate, playing the considerate brother card's a stroke of genius, but I'm sick of this. So, that's it, let me go."

Angel scowled and lifted a glass of blood out to Spike. Spike shook his head, "I'll have it in a bi-" but Angel grabbed the younger vamp by the hair, causing him to yell out.

"I've had it with this, Spike." Angel said, pouring blood into Spike's mouth as the younger vampire struggled, "You say you want to get better, but you won't eat. If we can't trust you to look after yourself, we'll have to stake you."

Spike grasped at Angel's face, nails scratching at his skin, as Angel pinned him down forcefully. Spike was getting tired, he couldn't win. He stopped struggling, letting Angel force another glass full of warm blood down his throat.

"See?" Angel said, putting the glass down, "Not so hard, just like Amsterdam." he said, his voice holding something dark and secret in it. Spike shivered, remembering 'Amsterdam' and what it had meant.

Spike wiped his bloody face and glared at his Sire, "You dick. You bastard."

Angel stood, putting a hand to the nail marks on his cheek, "You always were a scratcher, William." he said, heading for the door.

"You bloody sod!" Spike forced himself to the floor, using the sofa to get him to his feet. "Come back, come back and I'll bloody kill you!"

"What was that all about?"   
Giles asked as Angel entered the other room, Spike's yells still audible from the livingroom.

"Sharing old memories," Angel said, darkly. Lifting a glass from the sideboard and filling it with blood for himself.

"From the sound of it, I gather they are not treasured memories."

"Oh, they're treasured," Angel assured him,"Just not happy."

"Damn it." Walsh said, slamming her clipboard down. "Find other co-ordinates. I need to know everywhere that creature has been, everyone it's been in contact with. Miss Summers and her friends, the lot of them. I want warrants, I want information, and most of all, I want an execution."

The three teamleaders (minus Riley) nodded and headed to deploy their troops.

Professor Walsh groaned and headed into the restricted sector to 314, she needed some time alone. Time to think. Time to check on Adam.


	12. Chapter 12

_AN- Hey all! Sorry for the lateness; I should stop saying I'll update soon, it's obviously a curse XD This chap isn't the best, hopefully it's a good link for my oncoming plot, though, so see it as a necessary bridge XD_

_ta Hani xXx_

**Chappie 12**

Buffy placed the mug of blood on the small coffee table in Giles' livingroom. Spike looked at it with distaste and turned back to the crappy magazine he had in his hands.

"Spike." Buffy said, the warning in her voice so evident it was tangable.

"I'm not hungry." the Vampire stated, turning the page to find a half-naked woman in the following article and starting to read with interest. Buffy sighed and snatched the magazine away from him, glancing at the page. She blinked, "Who's is this?"

"Hey!" Spike protested, "I was reading that!" he said, sitting up and grabbing for it. The Slayer held it out of his reach, "I was just getting to the bit about her wanting bigger knockers!"

Buffy closed her eyes in disgust, "Eww." she said, throwing the magazine aside, "Why is that in Giles' house?"

Spike shrugged, "Hey, every man needs some motivation." he said, a smirk gracing his thin face. Buffy shuddered and gave Spike a look, which read 'I did not want to hear that'.

"Of course, some more than others..." Spike continued, he leaned over for the magazine, when Buffy caught his arm and pushed him back onto the sofa.

"Slayer,"

"No." Buffy said, she lifted the mug and held it out to him, "Drink." she instructed.

Spike sighed, "Slayer, all I seem to do these days is sit here and drink soddin' blood. Not even, might I add, decent blood."

Buffy shook her head, and waved the mug in front of his face.

"Spike, you're sick." she said, "You need to eat and rest."

Spike shook his head, "I am not sick." he said, "That's where you're all wrong, you see? I'm a Vampire. Vampire's don't get sick."

Buffy shrugged, "Fine then, you're weak and pathetic and you need to eat."

Spike scowled, "Why don't you just let me go? I'll go back to my Crypt like a good little puppy, and-"

"No." Buffy said, "Look, Spike, I don't like you. But I promised to help you, and the Initiative are out there en mass looking for you. They're going to kill you."

Spike sighed, "Why should you care?"

"You came here looking for help." Buffy said.

The vampire nodded, "Yeah, and you had me locked back up in that bloody lab and got me experimented on some more!"

Buffy scowled, "Spike, we needed to, to get the chip sorted."

"You just left me there!" he yelled. Buffy looked down, Spike shook his head, "You're just struck lucky that some idiot felt sorry for me. I wasn't getting out of that place, Slayer and you know it. They have plans for me; I'm some special interest. If I stay here, they'll come sooner or later; they're going to take me away and..." he let out a breath and closed his eyes, "If you let me go, I can avoid them."

"Spike, if we let you go, you'll pass out in your Crypt and starve into nothing." Buffy said, "If the Initiative have plans for you and come looking for you we can stop them."

"Not anymore." said a voice from the door. Both vampire and Slayer turned to see Riley standing there. He dropped a bag onto the floor. Buffy stood and turned to look at her boyfriend. She was still angry at him. Angry that he would undermine the very thing he'd decided to do. Angry that he would just sell out; it lowered her respect for him. Plus, she was just pissed off.

"What do you mean?"

"They don't have plans for you anymore." Riley said, addressing Spike, "The lung they took out turned to dust; the experiment's been terminated."

Buffy turned, "You told me this," she said, "What's changed?"  
Riley said, "No more experiments means he's a liability; a known entity. A search warrant has been provided for all of the places Hostile 17 has been spotted. They have access to your dorm, Giles' house... everywhere."

Giles, who had just entered the room, said, "Oh my."

Riley nodded, "It's a spot and kill operation." he said, he walked over to Spike, "You're no longer a captive," he said, sitting next to the vampire. Spike watched him warily, not looking too at ease. "You're government property, and they want you disposed of."

"I'm not anyone's bloody prop-"Spike began.

"That's not the issue." Giles said, "Spike, we need to get you out of here."

The vampire shook his peroxided head, "That's what I've been saying!"

"No. " Buffy said, "No, not to the Crypt. We need to get you OUT of here." Giles nodded, catching on.

"What?" Spike asked, confuzed, "What am I missing?"

"I can't believe this is happening." Spike grumbled, staring out of the car window sullenly.

"I'm not any happier with the situation." Angel said, starting up the car. It was dark. They'd waited until dark before setting off. It had been decided to send Spike to live with Angel for a few weeks until the heat was off in Sunnydale. Neither vampire was thrilled with the idea. At all.

It had been surprisingly difficult to get Spike in the car. He'd become stronger, and although still underweight, and not yet up to full strength, and restrained by the chip in his brain, he had put up a rather impressive fight!

"I didn't even know you had a car." Spike said, putting one booted foot up on the dashboard. Angel swiped at his foot with one hand, knocking it to the floor.

"Well, I do, and I don't want your big muddy footprints all over it, ok?"

Spike rolled his eyes, "Well, gee, Daddy, isn't this a fun car trip? This my que to say 'are we there, yet?'?"

Angel glared at the younger vampire, "I swear, if you dare start that, I WILL stake you."

Spike chuckled and put his foot back on the dashboard. Angel gritted his teeth and ignored him, this was going to be the longest couple of weeks ever.

A few hours minutes had passed, and they weren't even out of Sunnydale, yet.

"Spike?" Angel asked, finally deciding to ask the burning question.

"Yeah?"

"When did she start seeing Riley?"

Spike's interest was aroused "You what?"  
"Buffy... When did she and Riley-?"

Spike smiled, "Why? You come to play hero with an alternate motive?" he blinked, "I am appauled that you helped me just to get into a girls' pants; that's my idea!"

Angel ignored the comment,

"She first started shacking up with General Cardboard a while back." Spike said, "Round about the first time the sodding soldiers caught me." he shook his head, "Then the bloody poofter turns out to be one."

Angel nodded, "I don't like him."

"Of course you don't." Spike pointed out, "He's shagging the Slayer and you're not."

Angel scowled, "Shut up, Spike."

Spike laughed, "You know, if you weren't so bloody anal maybe Buffy would come running back."

Angel shot Spike a look, "What did you call me?!"

Spike shook his head, "You're pathetic, you know that?"

The older vampire's jaw dropped, "Look who's talking! I'm not the one who's clothes are hanging off of him! You want to see pathetic, Spike, go look in a mirror!"

"Well, I would, if I had a bloody reflection, you stupid pissant." Spike said, shaking his head. He opened the glove compartment and began rummaging around.

"What are you looking for?"

"Do you even own cigarettes?"

"No."

Spike grumbled, "Right," he said, spotting a shop as they reached the highstreet, "Give me some money, I want some cigs."

"No." Angel said.

Spike turned to him "No?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Spike, you just had a lung taken out."

"So?" Spike shrugged.

"So, you only have one left."

"And? I'm not exactly gonna get cancer, am I?"

Angel sighed, "Spike, if you only have one lung and you damage it, then you can't talk..." Angel paused, "And as wonderful as that sounds; I just don't think you should smoke anymore."

"But-" Spike protested.

"It can still get damaged." Angel said.

The younger vampire growled in exasperation and stomped his foot on the dashboard, "Bloody hell!"

"Good." Professor Walsh said, "That's what I like to hear," she put the phone down and turned to the waiting troops, "We have the warrants."

The team leaders nodded and left, taking each of their respective addresses to search.

Walsh smiled, turning to Engelmann, "We'll have Hostile 17 soon." she said.

Engelmann nodded, "What about the girl?"

"The court marshall will commence shortly." the professor said, "After the demon's execution."

Engelmann gave another nod, as they headed to 314, "And then, " Walsh said, "Our final objectives fit together, making it possible for Adam's awakening. The world will be a better place with us in charge. We will rule the demon's; make them work."

She swiped her key-card, "It is such a shame that the vampire was so uncooperative; it does not bode well for the species."


End file.
